Medal: Niccolo Piccinino 1440 - 1900

This bronze medal depicting Niccolo Piccinino was created by the Italian artist Pisanello, whose birth was around 1395. Pisanello worked during the early Renaissance, a time when humanist ideals shaped artistic expression. As a mercenary, Piccinino gained prominence amidst the political and military conflicts of 15th-century Italy. This medal offers insight into the identities of powerful men, and how they wished to be seen. Note how Piccinino's stern profile, framed by an inscription of his titles, evokes power and authority. Medals such as these would have been commissioned to celebrate and immortalize individuals who wielded significant influence. Consider how this medal, far from being a simple portrait, embodies complex ideas about power, identity, and representation in Renaissance society. What does it mean to immortalize a mercenary whose life was rooted in conflict?